Charmides Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCC DEDBFF GHGHII JIKIHH IIIILL MBMBLL ABABBIB IIIININ OIOIOO PQRQSS TITIII IIIIOO UIUIII TOTOII OTOTII IOIIII TVTHII WIWIXX YIYIBB OIOIZZ IIIIII OA2OA2TT TNTNLL B2OB2OC2C2 ID2ID2II TITIHVHE was a Grecian lad who coming home | A |
With pulpy figs and wine from Sicily | B |
Stood at his galley's prow and let the foam | A |
Blow through his crisp brown curls unconsciously | B |
And holding wave and wind in boy's despite | C |
Peered from his dripping seat across the wet and stormy night | C |
- | |
Till with the dawn he saw a burnished spear | D |
Like a thin thread of gold against the sky | E |
And hoisted sail and strained the creaking gear | D |
And bade the pilot head her lustily | B |
Against the nor'west gale and all day long | F |
Held on his way and marked the rowers' time with measured song | F |
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And when the faint Corinthian hills were red | G |
Dropped anchor in a little sandy bay | H |
And with fresh boughs of olive crowned his head | G |
And brushed from cheek and throat the hoary spray | H |
And washed his limbs with oil and from the hold | I |
Brought out his linen tunic and his sandals brazen soled | I |
- | |
And a rich robe stained with the fishes' juice | J |
Which of some swarthy trader he had bought | I |
Upon the sunny quay at Syracuse | K |
And was with Tyrian broideries inwrought | I |
And by the questioning merchants made his way | H |
Up through the soft and silver woods and when the labouring day | H |
- | |
Had spun its tangled web of crimson cloud | I |
Clomb the high hill and with swift silent feet | I |
Crept to the fane unnoticed by the crowd | I |
Of busy priests and from some dark retreat | I |
Watched the young swains his frolic playmates bring | L |
The firstling of their little flock and the shy shepherd fling | L |
- | |
The crackling salt upon the flame or hang | M |
His studded crook against the temple wall | B |
To Her who keeps away the ravenous fang | M |
Of the base wolf from homestead and from stall | B |
And then the clear voiced maidens 'gan to sing | L |
And to the altar each man brought some goodly offering | L |
- | |
A beechen cup brimming with milky foam | A |
A fair cloth wrought with cunning imagery | B |
Of hounds in chase a waxen honey comb | A |
Dripping with oozy gold which scarce the bee | B |
Had ceased from building a black skin of oil | B |
Meet for the wrestlers a great boar the fierce and white tusked | I |
spoil | B |
- | |
Stolen from Artemis that jealous maid | I |
To please Athena and the dappled hide | I |
Of a tall stag who in some mountain glade | I |
Had met the shaft and then the herald cried | I |
And from the pillared precinct one by one | N |
Went the glad Greeks well pleased that they their simple vows had | I |
done | N |
- | |
And the old priest put out the waning fires | O |
Save that one lamp whose restless ruby glowed | I |
For ever in the cell and the shrill lyres | O |
Came fainter on the wind as down the road | I |
In joyous dance these country folk did pass | O |
And with stout hands the warder closed the gates of polished brass | O |
- | |
Long time he lay and hardly dared to breathe | P |
And heard the cadenced drip of spilt out wine | Q |
And the rose petals falling from the wreath | R |
As the night breezes wandered through the shrine | Q |
And seemed to be in some entranc d swoon | S |
Till through the open roof above the full and brimming moon | S |
- | |
Flooded with sheeny waves the marble floor | T |
When from his nook upleapt the venturous lad | I |
And flinging wide the cedar carven door | T |
Beheld an awful image saffron clad | I |
And armed for battle the gaunt Griffin glared | I |
From the huge helm and the long lance of wreck and ruin flared | I |
- | |
Like a red rod of flame stony and steeled | I |
The Gorgon's head its leaden eyeballs rolled | I |
And writhed its snaky horrors through the shield | I |
And gaped aghast with bloodless lips and cold | I |
In passion impotent while with blind gaze | O |
The blinking owl between the feet hooted in shrill amaze | O |
- | |
The lonely fisher as he trimmed his lamp | U |
Far out at sea off Sunium or cast | I |
The net for tunnies heard a brazen tramp | U |
Of horses smite the waves and a wild blast | I |
Divide the folded curtains of the night | I |
And knelt upon the little poop and prayed in holy fright | I |
- | |
And guilty lovers in their venery | T |
Forgat a little while their stolen sweets | O |
Deeming they heard dread Dian's bitter cry | T |
And the grim watchmen on their lofty seats | O |
Ran to their shields in haste precipitate | I |
Or strained black bearded throats across the dusky parapet | I |
- | |
For round the temple rolled the clang of arms | O |
And the twelve Gods leapt up in marble fear | T |
And the air quaked with dissonant alarums | O |
Till huge Poseidon shook his mighty spear | T |
And on the frieze the prancing horses neighed | I |
And the low tread of hurrying feet rang from the cavalcade | I |
- | |
Ready for death with parted lips he stood | I |
And well content at such a price to see | O |
That calm wide brow that terrible maidenhood | I |
The marvel of that pitiless chastity | I |
Ah well content indeed for never wight | I |
Since Troy's young shepherd prince had seen so wonderful a sight | I |
- | |
Ready for death he stood but lo the air | T |
Grew silent and the horses ceased to neigh | V |
And off his brow he tossed the clustering hair | T |
And from his limbs he threw the cloak away | H |
For whom would not such love make desperate | I |
And nigher came and touched her throat and with hands violate | I |
- | |
Undid the cuirass and the crocus gown | W |
And bared the breasts of polished ivory | I |
Till from the waist the peplos falling down | W |
Left visible the secret mystery | I |
Which to no lover will Athena show | X |
The grand cool flanks the crescent thighs the bossy hills of snow | X |
- | |
Those who have never known a lover's sin | Y |
Let them not read my ditty it will be | I |
To their dull ears so musicless and thin | Y |
That they will have no joy of it but ye | I |
To whose wan cheeks now creeps the lingering smile | B |
Ye who have learned who Eros is O listen yet a while | B |
- | |
A little space he let his greedy eyes | O |
Rest on the burnished image till mere sight | I |
Half swooned for surfeit of such luxuries | O |
And then his lips in hungering delight | I |
Fed on her lips and round the towered neck | Z |
He flung his arms nor cared at all his passion's will to check | Z |
- | |
Never I ween did lover hold such tryst | I |
For all night long he murmured honeyed word | I |
And saw her sweet unravished limbs and kissed | I |
Her pale and argent body undisturbed | I |
And paddled with the polished throat and pressed | I |
His hot and beating heart upon her chill and icy breast | I |
- | |
It was as if Numidian javelins | O |
Pierced through and through his wild and whirling brain | A2 |
And his nerves thrilled like throbbing violins | O |
In exquisite pulsation and the pain | A2 |
Was such sweet anguish that he never drew | T |
His lips from hers till overhead the lark of warning flew | T |
- | |
They who have never seen the daylight peer | T |
Into a darkened room and drawn the curtain | N |
And with dull eyes and wearied from some dear | T |
And worshipped body risen they for certain | N |
Will never know of what I try to sing | L |
How long the last kiss was how fond and late his lingering | L |
- | |
The moon was girdled with a crystal rim | B2 |
The sign which shipmen say is ominous | O |
Of wrath in heaven the wan stars were dim | B2 |
And the low lightening east was tremulous | O |
With the faint fluttering wings of flying dawn | C2 |
Ere from the silent sombre shrine this lover had withdrawn | C2 |
- | |
Down the steep rock with hurried feet and fast | I |
Clomb the brave lad and reached the cave of Pan | D2 |
And heard the goat foot snoring as he passed | I |
And leapt upon a grassy knoll and ran | D2 |
Like a young fawn unto an olive wood | I |
Which in a shady valley by the well built city stood | I |
- | |
And sought a little stream which well he knew | T |
For oftentimes with boyish careless shout | I |
The green and crested grebe he would pursue | T |
Or snare in woven net the silver trout | I |
And down amid the startled reeds he lay | H |
Panting in breathless sweet aff | V |
Oscar Wilde
(1)
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